Brick



June 28, 1932. G. B. KISSINGER 1,865,114

BRICK Filed Aug. 7, 1929 Patented June 28, 1932 GEORGE B. KISSINGER, F TAKOMA PARK, MARYLAND BRICK Application filed August 7, 1929. Serial No. 384,144.

The present invention relates to building brick.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide building brick of improved con- I struction possessing many desirable characteristics not present in brick as now generally constructed that is at the same time capable of manufacture at substantially less cost than brick now in use.

A further object of the invention is the provision of brick of improved construction adapted for co-operation in a manner to provide insulation against both cold and heat, thus well adapting same to wall constructions in buildings.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of brick of improved formation so that the walls formed thereby are substantially damp proof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide brick of improved formation pos sessing the above noted characteristics without any substantial reduction in the strength thereof.

26 A still furtherobject of the invention is to provide building brick of improved formation that is capable of being easily cut or broken thus greatly facilitating the laying thereof in wall or similar constructions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide improved building brick whose bearing faces are interrupted by recesses or voids for providing the above noted characteristics in such manner that the brick is adapted for'full length bearing in wall construction.

Astill further object of the invention is to provide building brick which, besides possessing the above noted desirable characteris- 40 tics, is substantially lighter than brickin common use whereby same can be manufactured and transported at substantially less expense than brick now in use, and whereby the brick is well adapted to wall constructions in large buildings due to the lighter weight of the curtain Walls on the supporting beams.

A still further object of the invention is to provide improved building brick whereby same are adapted for co-operation in wall construction in a manner to provide a substantial mortar lock. 7

A still further object of the invention is to provide building brick of improved formation that can readily be provided with apertures thus adapting it to use for ventilating purposes.

With the above objects in view, as well as others than will become apparent during the course of the following disclosure reference will be had to the accompanying drawing forming part of same and wherein:

Fig. 1 isa bearing face plan view of a brick constructed in accordance with one of the embodiments of my invention,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on a plane represented by line 22 in Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 on a reduced scale depicting another embodiment of my invention. 7

' Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on a plane represented by line 4-4: in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of one end of a brick constructed in accordance with another embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 6 is an edge elevational view of a brick constructed in accordance with a still further embodiment of my invention, the brick being shown in co-operative relation with portions pf similar brick'indicated by dot and dash mes.

, Fig. 7 is an edge elevational view of a brick constructed in accordance with a still further embodiment of my invention.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters in which like characters designate like parts, and referring first to, Figs. 1 and 2, 11 designates a brick which, as indicated, is preferably, but not necessarily, of 1 the same size and relative dimensions as brick now in common use. The body of the brick 11, in the preferred form of the invention, is provided with recesses or voids 12 which open through the opposite bearing faces of the brick with the recessescommon to one face staggered relative to those common to the other face as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.

The recesses or voids 12 are, in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, disposed transversely of the length of the brick 11 in longitudinally spaced relation and with the opposite ends thereof terminating inwardly of the opposite edges of the brick, whereby a plane bearing face is provided by the opposite end surfaces 13, the surfaces 14 between recesses 12 and the opposite edge surfaces 15 outwardly of the opposite ends of recesses 12.

The recesses or voids 12 may be of any desired transverse configuration, but preferably the oppositetransverse as well as end walls thereof converge inwardly from the bearing faces as indicated at 16 which merge into a rounded bottom wall 17.

It will be noted, upon inspection of Fig. 2, that recesses or voids 12 are spaced such that relatively thin portions 18 are provided between the bottoms thereof, which are of sufficient thickness to provide strength in the brick, and it will be further noted that the extreme bottom points of recesses or voids 12 are substantially in a plane parallel with the opposite bearing faces, and, which as indicated in Fig. 2, is slightly closer one bearing face than the other, however the bottoms of recesses 12 may terminate midway of the opposite bearing faces or the inner ends of the opposite recesses 12 may be in lapped relation resulting in wider wall portions 18.

By the provision of the recesses or voids 12 in the opposite bearing faces of the brick 11 in the manner disclosed, the brick is endowed with many desirable characteristics hereinafter enumerated.

When bricks of the character disclosed are superposed in wall constructions the recesses or voids 12 are closed resulting in a multiplicity of closely spaced hollows or dead air spaces in the wall, which provide substantial insulation against both heat and cold, which is a highly desirable consideration in buildings, in that buildings so constructed are much cooler and consequently more comfortable in hot weather and such buildings are on the other hand easier to heat in cold weather as is well known.

The improved brick as disclosed is further well adapted to the construction of damp proof walls, since any water that may find its way between brick through the commonly experienced crevices formed by contraction of the mortar will collect in the recesses or voids 12 and gradually evaporate instead of working its way entirely through the wall, as it frequently does in walls constructed of the usual solid brick. k

7 It will be noted further, that the recesses or voids 12, while displacing a substantial fraction of the volume of the material of the brick are so proportioned and disposed that the brick as seen in longitudinal section is, in effect, corrugated whereby the strength of the brick is not substantially reduced by the formation of the recesses or voids therein.v

The provision of the recesses or voids 12 in the manner disclosed further provides a brick which is easily cut or broken at any desired point, because the walls 18 are relatively thin, thus permitting them to be easily broken by a hammer blow and as the walls 18 are relatively closely spaced practically any desired length of brick can easily be obtained thus facilitating the laying of the brick.

While the bearing faces of the brick 11 are substantially interrupted by the recesses or voids 12 the brick has a full length bearing due to the plane surface area comprising the surfaces 13, 1 1 and 15 thus adapting the brick to be lapped in any manner with the same facility as the ordinary brick now in use.

Furthermore, by the provision of the recesses or voids 12 the weight of the brick is reduced a substantial amount (in the present disclosure about 25%) well adapting them to the construction of walls of large buildings, which as is well known comprise curtain walls supported on beams, and by the use of the relatively lighter brick as herein disclosed substantially less weight is supported on the beams as a result of which lighter beams can be used, thus reducing the cost of the build- 1n Furthermore, the recesses or voids 12 provide a mortar lock whereby a wall can be constructed without liability of relative lateral slipping of the brick while laying same and which after hardening of the mortar pro vides a substantially integral wall construc' tion in which individual brick cannot be displaced even when the mortar has shrunk to an extent as to form crevices between the brick.

Considerable difiiculty has been experienced in laying ordinary brick, particularly in cold wather, due to courses of brick slipping laterally under the weight of several superposed courses as the mortar sets very slowly resulting in the expenditure of considerable time by the workman in periodically pushing the brick into the vertical plane of the wall under construction. With the brick in accordance with the present invention this slipping of the brick during laying of same is entirely obviated as a portion of the mortar, which is applied to surfaces 13 and 15 as in laying hollow tile, will flow into the recesses 12 thus forming a substantial lock which not only positively holds the brick in position while being laid, but provides a much stronger wall than when constructed of the usual brick now in use.

By the provision of the recesses or voids 12 the brick 11 besides possessing the above noted desirable characteristics, is well adapted for use in ventilating walls, such as in basements which at present are usually ventilated by various forms of gratings. With the brick herein disclosed, a ventilator can readily be built into a wall by puncturing the walls 18 at intervals as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 and designated by the character 19 and setting a few bricks so punctured on edge, whereby the air is permitted to pass through the openings 19 by way of recesses 12.

By constructing the brick 11 with the recesses or voids 12 as disclosed, not only is a more desirable brick provided, but same is capable of manufacture at substantially less cost than the brick now in common use, because substantially less clay is required in the construction of the brick, which, in the form shown in Fig. 1 and 2 is about 25% or 30% less than that required in the construction of the ordinary solid brick as above pointed out. resulting in a substantial saving in manufacture. Furthermore, by providing the recesses the heat in the burning operations more readily permeates the entire mass of material, thus enabling the brick to be properly burned with the consumption of a substantially less quantity of coal, thus further materially reducing the cost of manufacture of the brick. Furthermore, because of the lightness of the brick, a substantial saving in transportation of the brick is realized.

Not only is the improved brick in accordance with the present invention capable of manufacture and transportation cheaper than the brick now in use but it is capable of being laid at less expense than the usual brick as in the laying thereof the marginal edges only instead of the entire bearing surface will be required to be mortared necessitating the use of substantially less mortar, and resulting in saving of time on the part of the workman because he will not be required to load his trowel nearly as often.

A modified embodiment of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, wherein the brick 11a is provided with longitudinally disposed recesses or voids 12a as distinguished from the transverse recesses 12 in Figs. 1 and 2. The brick 11a possesses substantially the same desirable features as brick 11 as hereinbefore set forth.

In Fig. 5 is disclosed a still further embodiment of my invention wherein the brick 11b is provided with recesses or voids 12?) which extend inwardly from the opposite bearing faces in staggered relation. The recesses 1% lap one another at their bases and the opposite walls thereof converge inwardly in a manner to provide a corrugated construct-ion of substantially uniform thickness, whereby not only will less clay be required in the construction thereof but less heat will be required in the burning operations due to the fact that the substantially uniformly thick corrugated wall construction can quickly be heated throughout to the desired temperature.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated a still further em bodiment of my invention wherein the brick 110 is provided with a plurality of recesses or voids 120 in one bearing face only, which recesses extend entirely through the body of the brick from one edge to the other.

This form of brick is especially adapted for building perforate walls through which ventilation is desired such as corn-cribs, etc. Corn-cribs are now constructed of brick in which ventilating openings are formed between longitudinally disposed courses of brick and laterally disposed brick between such courses which provide a wall furnishing sufiicient ventilation but the openings in such walls are approximately two inches square or sufficiently large for the passage of rats. By the use of such brick as indicated in Fig. 6, corn-crib walls can be constructed which will aflord sufiicient ventilation and at the same time exclude rats as the recesses 120 are relatively small. Brick, constructed as indicated in Fig. 6 will find numerous other applications, for example, such brick is well suited for use as a filling for the walls of brick and tile burning kilns. Such kilns as now constructed, comprise relatively heavy thick walls which are eventually thoroughly heated by the flames. Difficulty has been experienced with such kilns caused by variation in expansion and contraction of portions of the walls due to variation in the temperature of the flames. By using the brick disclosed in Fig. 6

as a. filling for the walls of such kilns expansion and contraction of portions of the walls is substantially reduced because the recesses 12c prevent the flow of heat through the lling.

The recesses or voids 120 may be of various sizes and formations depending upon the use to which the brick is to be put. Thus, as illustrated in Fig. 7, the brick 11d may be provided with recesses 12d whose opposite walls are parallel instead of inclined as indicated in Fig. 6 and may be larger or smaller than the recesses 120 as desired. While the recesses 12c and 12d extend entirely through the brick 110 and 11d from one edge to the other they may terminate inwardly of the edges in the same manner as recesses 12 and 126 thus providing a brick adapted for wall construction in substantially the same manner as the brick illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5.

It will be seen from the foregoing disclosure, that in accordance with my invention improved brick is provided which is well adapted for wall construction, the brick being of such formation that a wall can be constructed therefrom having all the desirable features in such structures, that a wall can be constructed at less cost than walls now constructed of commonly used brick and that the brick in accordance with the invention is capable of manufacture and transportation at substantially less cost than the brick now in use.

While I have disclosed certain specific embodiments of my invention, such are to be considered as illustrative only and not restrictive since the scope of my invention is defined in the su'bj oined claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

5 1. A building brick in the form of an elongated parallelepiped provided with a plurality of parallel recesses extending partially through the brick from each bearing face toward the opposite face, said recesses being formed so as to provide corrugations of substantially uniform thickness in the body of the brick, the margins of the bearing faces being uninterrupted by said recesses.

2. A building brick in the form of a parallelopiped having four sides, all of which are uninterrupted plane surfaces, and bearing faces presenting uninterrupted smooth margins, said brick being provided with a plurality of recesses extending into the body of therbrick from between said margins from both bearing faces approximately to a plane paralleling the bearing faces passing through the center of the brick, each of said recesses being relatively wide and long and having inwardly tapered sides so that it may be conveniently molded.

3. A building brick in the form of a parallelopiped having four sides, all of which are uninterrupted plane surfaces and bearing faces presenting uninterrupted smooth margins, said brick being provided with a plurality of recesses formed to reduce the weight of the brick approximately one-fourth compared to an unrecessed brick of the same material and extending into the body of the brick from between said margins from both bearing faces approximately to a plane paralleling the bearing faces passing through the center of the brick, each of said recesses having inwardly tapered sides so that it may be conveniently molded.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEO. B. KISSINGER. 

